Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry

Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry
Hussein, Sheikh Saeed Merza Ahmed Al-Nouri, Sheikh Abdulhadi Abdulla
Al-Makhdour and Mr Al-Hor Youssef Al-Semeekh. These individuals
remained in the custody of the NSA until they were transferred to the Military
Prosecution on 29 March 2011. Many of these individuals alleged that they
were subjected to mistreatment during interrogation at the NSA detention
facilities. 261
553. Other political leaders were arrested by the NSA in the coming days
and weeks, including Mr Mohamed Hassan Jawad, Mr Mohamed Reda Ismail,
Sheikh Abduljalil Al-Mekdad, Mr Salah Abdulla Al-Khawaja, Sheikh
Mohamed Habib Al-Safaf, Mr Merza Al-Mahrous and Mr Abdulhadi Al-
Khawaja. All these individuals were arrested and interrogated by the NSA
and remained in its custody for periods ranging between one and three weeks.
554. These arrests, many of which occurred in the early hours of the
morning between 01:00 and 03:00, were mostly executed by teams of masked
men at the homes of the arrested individuals. On a number of occasions,
armed units from the MoI and the BDF accompanied these teams of security
agents to provide perimeter security. In many cases, the arresting units
forcefully entered the homes of these individuals, destroyed personal property,
including cars, failed either to identify themselves or to inform the arrested
individual of the reasons for arrest or to show arrest warrants, and acted in an
aggressive and, at times, terrorising manner towards members of the
household, including women and children. 262
555. During the day, government security agencies intensified their efforts
to restore law and order in Bahrain. Extensive security operations were
conducted to remove roadblocks and checkpoints and to reopen the major
thoroughfares in Manama and neighbouring cities and villages. The MoI also
intensified its riot control efforts in an attempt to end all forms of
demonstrations and protests that were continuing in various areas of Bahrain.
Police units dispatched to undertake these operations used their standard
techniques and weapons, including tear gas, sound bombs, rubber bullets and
shotgun rounds.
556. At 12:30, the BDF General Command issued a statement declaring
that the curfew hours announced the previous day were reduced to the hours
of 20:00 to 04:00. At 13:30, the BDF General Command issued another
statement in which it announced the following:
In accordance with the authority granted to it pursuant to Royal
Decree No. 18 of 2011 on the Declaration of a State of National
Safety, a group of the leaders of discord who called for the
removal of the regime and conspired on behalf of foreign
countries have been arrested. These individuals have also incited
during the recent events to the killing of citizens and the
destruction of private and public property, which has undermined
social peace and led to deaths among innocent citizens and
261 See Chapter VI, Section D.
262 See Chapter VI, Section C.
148